Latest news with #SvenSpichiger
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Officials share update about 'murder hornet' population in the US: 'We'll always be keeping an eye out'
There's one fewer invasive species to worry about in the U.S., thanks to the hard work of scientists and wildlife officials. Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) have officially been eradicated from the U.S., the Travel reported. Also called northern giant hornets or, more commonly, "murder hornets," Asian giant hornets are the largest wasps in the world, growing up to two inches long. They're native to South and East Asia but were first spotted in British Columbia, Canada, in August 2019. In December of the same year, they were also spotted in Washington State, U.S., causing panic among residents. Wildlife officials have been trying to eradicate this invasive species since 2019, and it looks like their hard work has finally paid off. According to the Washington State Standard, the officials sent out teams to search for the murder hornets. They captured one, placed a small tag on it, and used it to trace its nest by tracking it with radio transmitter beeps. The officials followed it back to its nest and destroyed the entire colony, per BBC. Now, three years after no sightings, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the USDA announced that the murder hornets have officially been eradicated. Invasive species pose a threat to both humans and native insects, and Asian giant hornets are no exception. Their stings are very painful and could be deadly to people with bee sting allergies. They're also a threat to honey bee populations; they often coordinate group attacks on honey bee nests, and per the Washington State Standard, they can take down an entire hive by decapitating the bees. Protecting native pollinators like honey bees is important because they help pollinate plants and crops, making them crucial to the ecosystem for food production and biodiversity. Just as eradicating invasive insects like murder hornets protects native pollinators, homeowners can also support pollinators by rewilding their yard to replace invasive or non-native plants with native ones. Rewilding the yard also offers a wide range of benefits, like lower maintenance costs, reduced reliance on fertilizers and pesticides, restoration of natural habitats, and provision of food sources for pollinators. This allows homeowners to restore ecological balance and support biodiversity while saving money. Homeowners can also help officials keep a lookout for invasive species that threaten pollinators. "Although they are now eradicated from the state, we'll always be keeping an eye out for them and encourage community members to do the same," WSDA pest program manager Sven Spichiger told the Travel. Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
WA losing invasive beetle battle in Tri-Cities. Fight to stop them moves to Columbia River
The Washington state Department of Agriculture is expanding eight-fold the area of private and public land in the Tri-Cities it wants to spray pesticide to fight highly destructive Japanese beetles. What was one square mile treated in Pasco last spring, will expand to eight square miles, including a slice of Columbia Park on the south side of the Columbia River in Kennewick this year. It will be the first time treatment has been done in Kennewick by the state to kill Japanese beetle larvae or grubs in the soil before they emerge as adults. In 2023, five Japanese beetles were found in Pasco, but the next year 408 were found in Pasco and one in a trap across the Columbia River in Kennewick near Hawthorne Elementary School. Statewide Japanese beetles caught in Department of Agriculture traps increased from 19,544 in 2023 to 26,700 last year. Most were in caught in the Lower Yakima Valley, with 24,700 found in Sunnyside, Grandview, Mabton and the far west side of Benton County. The Japanese beetles also have been found in Prosser, since the infestation started with three beetles in Grandview in 2020. Japanese beetles feed on more than 300 plants, and can devastate grape crops, strip roses and other garden plants of their leaves, and damage turf at homes, parks and golf courses. Adult Japanese beetles are up to a half inch long and have a metallic green head and thorax and iridescent copper wing covers. White C-shaped larvae with a tan head and visible legs may be seen during the spring. State Department of Agriculture officials said in November that trapping alone is not enough to eradicate Japanese beetles from the state. So far spring pesticide treatments have been voluntary and property owners must give consent each year to have their properties treated. But only about half of property owners in areas of concern gave permission to have their land treated last year. 'So far the level of community participation has only been enough to slow, but not stop or eradicate Japanese beetles from our state,' said Sven Spichiger, pest program manager for the Department of Agriculture, in a statement. 'If we aren't allowed to treat most of the properties in the infested areas, it is only a matter of time before it is too late to eradicate.' Then homeowners, gardeners and farmers will be left with the responsibility and expense of not only managing the pest, but the burden of following permanent quarantine regulations as well, he said. Parts of the Lower Yakima Valley already are under a Japanese beetle quarantine. Residents are not allowed to remove soil or sod or plants not free from soil, such as fruit trees and potted plants, from the quarantine area year round. The removal of plants and plant cuttings, roots, grass clippings, cut flowers, among other vegetation that could harbor Japanese beetles, is prohibited in the area May 15 to Oct. 15, the season when adult beetles live. Instead, they must be taken by landowners to special disposal areas. In states that have permanent infestations of the beetles, farmers and plant nurseries are subject to expensive and restrictive quarantines to move their products, as well as increased pesticide costs to manage the beetle, according to the Washington state Department of Agriculture. Residents must deal with the pest in their lawns and gardens as well, either increasing pesticide use or manually removing the beetles — some even using vacuums because of the sheer number of beetles, the agency said. Visitors and tourists must also deal with the beetles being a nuisance flying into them. The Department of Agriculture is asking permission from Tri-Cities landowners this year to treat land from North Road 64 east to around North First Avenue in Pasco. The southern edge of treatment for Pasco would be the Columbia River or East Ainsworth Avenue north to West Livingston Road, including part of Columbia Basin College north of Interstate 182. In Kennewick, the area to be treated would be in Columbia Park west of the blue bridge along the river for almost a mile and would also include a small amount of private land south of Highway 240. Treatment is done with the insecticide Acelepryn, which kills Japanese beetles and certain other pests in their grub or larval stage in the soil. It is not considered a health risk for people, pets, wildlife or insects, such as bees, that don't go through a larval state in the soil. About 17,600 property owners in Yakima, Benton and Franklin county treatment areas have been mailed letters with a consent form and a PIN number. If you are in a treatment area and need a form to permit spraying, they are available at the Pasco City Hall, plus additional city halls in the Lower Yakima Valley. To sign up online, go to and scroll down to the 'sign up now' box. I If you need help to sign up or to retrieve your PIN number, call 800-443-6684 or email pest@
